James Tedesco intends to extend his stint at Sydney Roosters as a fullback call looms with Joseph Suaalii

“Some players might want to reach a certain age, but I always take care of my body and mind, so who knows how long I’ll be playing,” Tedesco said.

Suaalii, a key target for Eddie Jones and Rugby Australia, signed a year-long extension last week and showed plenty of nice touches down center left against the Warriors at the weekend.

There was a moment in that game when he pulled back to score a try rather than pass to an unmarked Tedesco, but the skipper laughed at the suggestion Suaalii deliberately ignored him.

“Joey is still learning the center role, he only had one preseason there and a few games now,” Tedesco said. “He was pretty dominant at the weekend. He’s learned a lot from Joey Manu, they’re both great ball runners and having those weapons outside of our spine is pretty dangerous.

“Joey always wants to get better. Even after the game, he apologized for not being a match for me and I said, “Buddy, it’s all good”. He bet on himself, he always has, and I’m sure he scores 99 percent of the time with that try. There is no drama there.”

One of the game’s best full-backs, Manly’s Tom Trbojevic, backed Tedesco to remain No. 1 for some time to come and certainly beyond 2024 when his contract expires.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the Roosters, but Teddy is still the best full-back in the game,” Trbojevic said on Monday.

“From the way he’s been playing, he’s certainly not slowing down. I know he struggled with injuries early in his career, but his resilience and the amount of footy he’s playing now, I don’t think the Roosters will be rid of him any time soon.”